2006 Lake Seminole Web Page Information Summary

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Ross Fitzgerald
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1 2006 Lake Seminole Web Page Information Summary May 25, Pinellas County, the Southwest Florida Water Management District, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission hosted the Lake Seminole Restoration and Recovery Public Meeting to discuss with citizens the 2006 construction schedule including the lake lowering, habitat restoration project, and the stormwater improvements. Public meeting at City of Seminole Recreation Center located on 113th Street in Seminole. Lake Seminole public meeting held May 25, January 9, The gates were opened to lower Lake Seminole for a series of restoration activities. The gates were closed at the end of January at a lake level of 2.5. On February 6, 2006 a 100 year rain event brought over 2.5 feet of water back into the lake. On February 9, 2006 the gates were re-opened and then closed at the end of February Looking south from the 102nd Avenue bridge showing exposed lake shoreline after the lake reached 2.5 feet. South shoreline after lake water levels are lowered so new grading by County Highway Department can begin.

2 February 25 and March 4, volunteers removed over 26 tons of trash and debris. This event kicked off Keep Pinellas Beautiful s 2006 Great American Clean Up. Work in 2006 began with the lake lowering on January 9, A 100-year rain event on February 3, 2006 refilled the lake and lowering resumed on February 6, The gates were closed again on February 23, Photograph taken 2/25/06 at the Holiday Shores community center prior to starting clean up activities. Participating in a clean up event can be fun! Several volunteers working on Lake Seminole Park shoreline stop for the camera. Volunteers walking along the bottom of Lake Seminole remove bottles, cans, plastic bags, and other litter from the south end of the lake. Racking up the community service hours can be fun work! High school students participate in the Lake Seminole clean up. Volunteers work to remove trash from the south east shoreline of Lake Seminole. Volunteers model their "I Walked on the Bottom of Lake Seminole" t-shirts.

3 Photograph taken 3/04/06 looking south from the Lake Seminole Park boat ramp. All trash and debris is gone beautiful! March 8, The restoration of the southern shoreline of Lake Seminole began. Activities included invasive species removal: Brazilian pepper, castor bean, primrose willow, sea hibiscus, and cattails. Restoration will include installation of native aquatic plants and trees, and park-style benches. Southern shoreline of Lake Seminole along Park Blvd. looking east. Southern shoreline of Lake Seminole along Park Blvd. looking east. February 28, Repairs to the boat launching facilities at Lake Seminole Park began. Photograph taken on 3/30/06 of new docks prior to installation. Photograph taken 3/30/06 from Lake Seminole Park looking north showing newly constructed launching facilities and a boat basin now free of invasive plants

4 March 29 and 30th, Several areas were inspected: the north end of the lake, the Park restoration area, the boat ramp improvement project, and the drainage improvement area at 102nd Avenue. North end of lake looking southeast. North end of lake looking northeast. North end of lake looking northwest. Photograph taken 4/24/06 looking west from the southwest end of the 102nd Avenue bridge. Photograph taken 3/29/06 looking east from the southwest end of the 102nd Avenue bridge. Southwest end of 102nd Avenue bridge, south side looking east.

5 The 118th Avenue canal is heavily impacted by sediment build up. Work began 5/01/06. Estimated completion date 5/26/06. Photograph taken 4/24/06 looking west at the 118th Avenue canal before restoration start. April 12, A hydraulic pump was installed at the north end of the lake to bring water from the bypass canal into the lake. North end of lake. Lake Seminole lower part of picture and the Bypass Canal upper part of picture. Pinellas County Highway and Utilities personnel work to install pump on Lake Seminole. April 19, Texas Aquatic Harvesting Inc. began restoring over 16 acres of lake bottom impacted by muck sediments and overgrowth of cattails and willow trees. North end of Lake Seminole Park. East shoreline of Lake Seminole Park.

6 April 28, Pumping was temporarily suspended due to low canal levels. The area has not received rain in over 30 days. Pumping will resume when rain brings a sufficient amount of water into the canal. May 1, Work began to grade the southern shoreline and prepare the area for sod and new oak trees. May 16, The contractor has completed the habitat restoration project. The Lake Seminole Park recreation trail has been cleared of debris and is now open to the public for use. Public Works' Lake Management section and Park Department staff will be on the lake next week to cut down and mark some of the known hazards on the lake. Signage is currently being updated at the launch facility so that it will be in place when the water levels rise enough to open the ramps to the public. June 2, Pumps were turned on again today after the rain events on May 31st and June 1 refilled the Bypass Canal. Due to the lack of rain, pumping has been periodically shut down. Water levels in the Bypass canal get too low and the pumps are then shut off. Intermittent pumping has kept the lake from going any lower. Boat ramps remained closed until lake levels reach approximately 3 feet. The Pinellas County Highway Department continues work on the southern shoreline and on two drainage improvement projects at 118th Avenue and 94th Avenue. June 7, Read the Seminole Beacon's "Efforts at Lake Seminole taking root ". July 19, Grasses Grasses Everywhere, What Can I Do? 1. Will they die once water levels come back up? Yes. The plants growing on the bottom of the lake are land plants and cannot survive under water. Why can't someone come out and spray? The airboat and spray equipment used for treatments cannot access most areas due to low water levels. Additionally, we cannot spray all the vegetation at once. Once water levels are high enough to operate the equipment, we will use a combination of spraying and allowing natural breakdown to occur. 2. Can I kill it? Yes you can mow your shoreline or use a weed trimmer to knock down the plants. They are not protected grasses. You can spray, but you must use an approved herbicide that can be applied in or near water. It is illegal

7 to use Round Up or similar products in or near water. It is best to work with a certified herbicide applicator for this process. For more information: 3. What do we do about the mosquitoes? Please call and report mosquito issues to Mosquito Control at Refer to Mosquito Control for more information. Lastly, I know everyone is very frustrated with the condition of the lake right now. The overly dry spring has held things up, but with a little luck and a couple of good strong rain events we'll be back in business. I thank many of you for your understanding and kind words. Lake Seminole cannot reach its restoration goals without everyone's support! September 5, In several areas of the lake Primrose Willow has become a navigational issue. Plans to harvest this vegetation are in the works. The anticipated start date is Monday September 11, Grasses, like those at the very northeast end of the lake, are dying off on their own and will not be harvested. Additionally, beneficial native vegetation is cropping up in many areas. This is a good thing for the lake. You may just be seeing the leaves or a reed coming up. Cattails have a flat blade like sheath. The reeds seen coming in are round. These plants are protected so your safe bet is to call first. Jetskiers, waterskiers, and boaters: no wake zones are established in all areas 100 feet from the vegetation and from the south side of the 102nd Avenue bridge through the narrows. New buoys will be installed in approximately 60 days. Waterskiers who have set up slalom courses are required to check ownership of the area and ensure all activities are outside the protected vegetation zones. Courses that are in violation will be removed.

8 December 5, 2006, This month's activities: 1. Complete aquatic harvesting of northwest area (EST December 31, 2006 Based on Weedbusters' schedule) 2. Continue inspecting and retreating spray areas as needed 3. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission monitoring of 10,000 large mouth bass released into Lake Seminole 4. Continue planning efforts with local Eagle Scout to plant live oaks along Park Blvd. 5. Continue planning efforts for Spring shoreline revegetation along Park Blvd. Before During After

Resource Management Accomplishments FY 2014

Resource Management Accomplishments FY 2014 Sea turtle nest protection - Over 3,700 sea turtle nests were covered with wire mesh screens to protect them from being predated. Data on each sea turtle activity